A "Make Do" World

One of the things I am going to miss most about Mexico is their mindset and ability to “make do.” Most have little and some have even less than that, but they still manage. You see it in a variety of ways. Follow me to the street and watch as people bicycle, walk and catch public transportation to work. See it in the tools of their trade strapped to the bicycle or the tattered tarp hanging over a huge pot of tamales. Let’s go back inside and discover that five, six or seven people are living in a small two bedroom house. Clothes hang from every conceivable angle as they dry in the afternoon sun.

Don’t have orange cones for construction workers? No problem, use some big rocks. No job prospects? Then hit the traffic light industry and juggle, wash windows or sell flowers. Can’t afford electric for heat in the winter? Just add on a few more layers of clothes. Need a big bag for market shopping? Use a sown up feed sack.

We see it too in the lives of Christians, and it boosts our faith. A young man recently shared with us how he asked God for a simple thing – a pair of jeans to replace the tattered ones he wore to his Bible training classes. A few days later on a trip to visit relatives in another state, an uncle asked about his pant size. He discovered that indeed the offering was a fit and he was given…………………………… SEVEN pair. I’ll tell you that those seven pair of jeans in this “make do” society was met with as much rejoicing as the gift we received a few years ago from the sale of a house in Alaska.

I’m sure my ideas along these lines can be overly romanticized. While it can come across as contentedness and simple living, in truth it’s probably more often stark reality and limited options. None-the-less I’m going to miss this “make do” attitude.

Aluminum Art Work by Maria